Does Anybody Use A Deer Carrier?

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woodshunter

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Just curious as my son and I are considering getting one to make it easier on us. Years back I bought a Warren&Sweat two wheeled job that had a pull and push handle and folded up. Long story short we shot a big buck back in the puckerbrush and decided to wheel him out on the new cart, didn't dress him in there to avoid drawing the coyotes and killing the spot for that season so on he went. Now he was around 250lb on the hoof and we didn't have any trouble hauling along but the cart started to self destruct as we went, first a wheel came off (broke the pin holding it) found a pin we used on the boat transom saver and cobbled on. Next one wheel bent so bad it would hardly push, next the axle bent bad where the wheel mounted on it, then we broke spokes in the other wheel. Real happy to hit the tote road and reach the truck. Fixed and replaced parts and it worked good for some does and yearlings but shot another heavyweight and we pretty much killed it getting out over a beaver dam. OK done with that unit sent it down the road cheap. We aren't hunting as far back in now but still want to do less dragging, been looking at a kill shot online, its rated for 500lbs instead of 250 like the first and wheels don't have spokes and are larger in diameter(this is important where logs and stumps are common). Price is good and reviews are pretty good also, some hunters hauled elk out on it. Anybody have experience with this carrier? I figure replace hardware/pins with stainless bolts and lock nuts and big heavy cotter pins on wheels and I guess we are going to find out next fall.
 
Here in the gunshine state, when your deer or piggy runs into THICK brush, or even worse, the swamp, those wheely things are a non-starter. if I am hunting with someone else, I have a collapsible Israeli litter in my jeep. Unfortunately, they list for over $500 (didn't know until just now). There is also another contraption we used called a skedco litter, which can be dragged fairly easy, like a sled- also expensive, but a similar device could probably be made by someone who is crafty. There are youtube videos on the skedco.
 
I gave up on mine. Logs were a killer. I bring along a deer sled. Thankfully where I hunt we have two or three young guys over 6 ft and so strong they don't bother with anything They drag the deer to a spot we can get to with a ATV.
 
I would like to see you use one here. I shot a buck about 1 1/2 miles from the truck in our National Forrest. No vehicles allowed. Nothing on wheels. I hooked him up to my climbing harness and started dragging. Luckily it was downhill or level most of the way and he was only about 100 lbs dressed. He passed me 3 times going down one hill. If he had been on wheels I can only guess where he would have stopped. I'm old now and don't hunt where I can't get my Yamaha.
 
Patocazador said:
I got a wheeled carrier from Sportsmans Guide for $45+. The wheels aren't large diameter but I hauled out 2 does at once on it with no problems. It does have spoked wheels
though.

.View attachment 877790

View attachment 877791
Click to expand...
I have this same cart and have abused it with deer, firewood, boulders for my sisters landscaping and other such things. It's taken it all in stride. The engineering isn't the greatest, and you'll do a minor repair here and there, but otherwise it holds up and does the job. Pro tip, lash about 20 feet of paracord and a short roll of duct tape to it. The paracord is there because the OEM tie downs suck, and the duct tape is for field expedient repairs or lost pins/bolts (they tend to work their way out on bumpy trails). Keep the center of gravity low, and thoroughly lash the deer to the frame to prevent wobble and tipping. This is where the cart takes most abuse. For $45, it's worth every penny.
 
My buddy built this, single wheel, tall enough to move around safe brush. He built the deer/antelppe EEFDD40A-FCC2-46EB-851B-520EE31F75FC.png 42AAC54C-A621-49E4-85A9-F3704E635626.png rack also

My wife killed her first deer this year. I cut it up amd put him in my eberle stock pack. Done a few elk also. Well the elk took more than one trip. I would rather pack or wheel than drag.
 
Thank You for all the tips, sleds work well up here in the snow but snow usually comes toward the end of our gun season (November) and can't be depended on each year. We're just finishing the ML'er season today and no snow except patches here or there. I was very satisfied with the wheeled unit (it looked very similar to the sportsman guide one pictured in this post) it just wasn't built heavy enough to take the deers weight and keep from bending up, both the rack the deer was on and the axle/wheels. That's why I thought heavier weight rating and steel wheels without the easy to kill spokes. I know nothing is perfect in the woods, heck the beaver dam was the worst thing I ever encountered we almost lost my pard on the deep side :eek: We think we're going to try the Kill Shot (its made by a tow hitch company) new wheel assemblies w/tire are around $30. All those clips torsion pins and other stuff to lose on the way out will be bolts, loc nuts, and heavy cotter pins. I'll do a review on it next fall hopefully, now I just need to shoot a good test subject buck to woods test it.
 
Forgot to add... look at an Otter or Pelican sled/cart and see if it would fit your needs also. I have one setup for my 4-wheeler with a tow bar for firewood and such, it would be easily converted to wheelbarrow style with some light ingenuity, and easily converts into a heavy duty sled.
 
I made a deer cart from an old aluminum extension ladder, some solid rubber tired wheels and some 1"X1" aluminum square tubing. It is carried im my truck, and is easily assembled with 4 bolts. It has gone over some rough terrain in the years since I made it and held up very well. The rungs on the ladder provide for several tie down points to keep a deer from wiggling about when moving. I try to avoid going over logs if possible. I have to say, that the best deer dragger I ever used was my neighbors mule. That animal could go any where, and pull like the dickens. Whenever I get one way back in a really tough spot, I bribe my neighbor with a bottle of scotch so I can have the use of the mule and harness. A pretty fair deal if you ask me.
 
A 4 wheeler can get just about everywhere I have ever had to recover animals but a few times I have had to drag them some distance because the area was so dense or at such angles they or a number of other methods wouldn’t have been feasible. I have used tiedown straps in the over the shoulder fashion like this but closer. Not so close the head is hitting your feet but when you apply force it gives more of a lifting pull than the direction you are advancing, also helps if you are having to weave through things.

B6857BBA-0CE2-48CA-BF3C-CBBE10EC8CC7.jpeg

FWIW see all the little brush in that photo, those antlers wouldn’t catch every single one they come across if he was dragging it butt forward.
 
jmorris said:
A 4 wheeler can get just about everywhere I have ever had to recover animals but a few times I have had to drag them some distance because the area was so dense or at such angles they or a number of other methods wouldn’t have been feasible. I have used tiedown straps in the over the shoulder fashion like this but closer. Not so close the head is hitting your feet but when you apply force it gives more of a lifting pull than the direction you are advancing, also helps if you are having to weave through things.

View attachment 877891
Click to expand...

I have one of these harnesses but with a shorter drag line that I bought for about $8 at Academy. I have used it on several occasions and it works well. I hauled out 2 does ~300 yards with it (one at a time) 4 months after having a triple bypass. The one I have has to be modified with a longer drag cord but not as long as the one in the above photo.

upload_2019-12-14_13-36-10.jpeg

The advantage that the harness has over the cart is you don't have to walk back to your vehicle to get it and pull it empty to the deer. The harness folds up compactly and easily fits in a cargo pocket.
 
sage5907 said:
This one worked good!View attachment 877824
Click to expand...

We think alike! My game cart for the one's shot "out back". Really helps with dressing and hanging too!

GxFEiv7h.jpg

Seriously though, we normally use a folding Cabela's game cart with run flat tires for our travelling hunts. The vast majority of KS WIHA's don't allow vehicles. This year it was modified by adding a section of oak handrail to allow for 2 pullers up front and a rear pusher. It was a lesson learned from dragging my 5x4 mulie out though a mile plus of CRP and muddy fields last year. We now have an unofficial "10pts or better rule", since an animal down basically screws up all of us for the day, or an entire evening getting it out.
 
Patocazador said:
I have one of these harnesses but with a shorter drag line that I bought for about $8 at Academy. I have used it on several occasions and it works well. I hauled out 2 does ~300 yards with it (one at a time) 4 months after having a triple bypass. The one I have has to be modified with a longer drag cord but not as long as the one in the above photo.

View attachment 877940

The advantage that the harness has over the cart is you don't have to walk back to your vehicle to get it and pull it empty to the deer. The harness folds up compactly and easily fits in a cargo pocket.
Click to expand...
That's identical to the one my brother uses.
My homemade one is heavier without the extra straps.
 
jmorris said:
A 4 wheeler can get just about everywhere I have ever had to recover animals but a few times I have had to drag them some distance because the area was so dense or at such angles they or a number of other methods wouldn’t have been feasible. I have used tiedown straps in the over the shoulder fashion like this but closer. Not so close the head is hitting your feet but when you apply force it gives more of a lifting pull than the direction you are advancing, also helps if you are having to weave through things.

View attachment 877891

FWIW see all the little brush in that photo, those antlers wouldn’t catch every single one they come across if he was dragging it butt forward.
Click to expand...

I tie the front legs over the head to the neck and drag rope around both keeps legs and antlers from getting tangled in anything.
 
I’ve used this for about 7 or 8 years with some ratchet tie downs or bungees.
https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-heavy-duty-hand-truck-62775.html

Costs 40 bucks, and with the big tires rolls over logs without much trouble. Works better than many ones I’ve seen “ made for deer”. I’ve used it in all kinds of terrain. Where using it wasn’t feasible I just drag them a ways until I can get on the cart. If that doesn’t work, I will quarter them and pack them out.
 
Years ago I bought a red plastic toboggan to try, since we had a heavy snow fall just before deer season. Modified it a bit, reinforcing the holes for the pull rope and the handles, and carry a length of rope as well, already having lengthen and thickened the pulling rope. Thing works great in snow, but also provides a uniformly smooth bottom the will slide over small brush as well as logs.

Now I digress....First time using it was in a big snow year. My dad and I were the only ones to go way back in, over a couple hills. After pulling to the top of the first hill, my dad was at the bottom in front of me. I climbed on top of the deer and pushed with my feet.....dang, a 250 lb dude on top of a nice buck on top of a red kiddie sled was more than ol’ Pop could stand. He thought it was pretty darn funny watching me barreling down this little trail getting whipped by the branches, until my hillbilly toboggan team ran him over....

I would love to have an actual video of that, but we laugh every time the subject comes up.
 
I don't use one of those wheeled monstrosities (ignore the jealousy hidden in my adjective), because that's a pretty big piece of gear for me to lug out to the hunting grounds, AND because my hunting grounds are pretty thick, and wheeled stuff, really isn't going to do well. I do have a thick piece of plastic which is called a Deer Sleigh'r when bought in a store (I made mine). This reduces the friction and make dragging pretty simple and easy. The illustration is wrong, though. Since the deer is balled up on the plastic and it wraps slightly around the carcass, the head of a buck, goes at the end, not the front, so you don't naturally snag bushes and sapling and such....
DEER SLED.JPG

LD
 
I believe that since we all live and hunt in such differing areas that what works for one might not work well for another. To give a couple examples-ATV's and four wheelers are very limited in land they can run on, most landowners are downright hostile to the thought. most of the public land is off limits also. Where I hunt I would quickly be sent packing. The woods and tote roads are left clogged with tops and limbs for years after a cutting operation has been there. Where we hunt there are no ridges and little hardwood that's easy to maneuver, its pretty much all bogs and cedar or spruce swamps. Getting kinda old for them long drags so we need to use something that holds the weight and just needs motivation, we run over most smaller obstacles like smaller whippy trees and logs and logging stumps. That's why so hard on equipment I suppose. A skidder with a front blade would be nice but they leave a trail that would have property owners shooting at ya :>o Just kiddin' with last idea. I was happy with our cart and it did what we wanted and got the deer out, it just wasn't up to the weight and was built for smaller deer I guess. Don't take this as bragging or boasting cause its not, but we shoot a fair number of northern whitetails that go well over 200lbs dressed, not cause we're great hunters or anything but cause of where we live and hunt. Last year they shot one dressed at 274 pretty close to us. You gotta be young and brutal to pull something like that thru the puckerbrush any distance, and i'm neither anymore. That's why the high wheeled cart that will handle at least 300lbs or better looks like the ticket. I am considering the bike after seeing this pic. woods Deer on Bike.jpg Silver Ridge Heavy Weight.jpg
 
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